trolley problems
Track-switching moral puzzles
Trolley problems are ethical thought experiments involving forced choices between harmful outcomes.
The classic version: a runaway trolley will kill five people unless you divert it to a track where it kills one.
Philosophers use trolley problems to probe moral intuitions about action versus inaction, utilitarian calculation, and the ethics of using someone as a means to save others.
It's a real trolley problem—do we cut the failing program and lay off staff, or keep it and watch the whole department go under?
- stopCease all motion
- choiceAct of selecting
- pushForce something away
- bystanderOne who observes nearby
- life or deathMaximally high stakes
ethics · dilemma · moral dilemma · morality · utilitarianism · medical triage · switch · thought experiments · philosophy · consequence · decision-making · values · deontology · judgment · responsibilities · moral reasoning · greater good · rail
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